Hungry 6 week old

[Daamunn11]

Hello 😊
My lb is 7 weeks old and is always hungry! He's on 240ml feeds every 4 hours. He is instantly ready for more milk right after feeds. I have tried topping him up in between feeds with 90ml but don't want to be getting into the habit of this. He has taken a couple of 260ml feeds no bother but this now reaching the max amount I can fill in his bottles lol. How can I stick to my 4 hourly routine but have a full baby in between feeds? Is there some kinda magical formula that would keep him fuller for longer?? Hv said to just feed him when he's hungry and as much as he needs but I feel a routine would work better for me rather than demand feeding? He gets so hungry he screams the house down and its 100%a hunger cry as he will try and chomp on absolutley anything near his face. As soon as he gets food he's the most calm baby ever until 2-3 hours later when he's starving again and gets himself very worked up until he gets a bottle 😴!!

Slightly different because I breastfeed but my ds (9 weeks) has only ever gone 3 hours in the day, their tummies are very small. Rather than upping quality I'd say you would be better off moving to approx 3 hourly feeds? How long does he go st night? From about 5/6 weeks mine would diva 6 hour stretch from 9 - 3 (up feeding now!)

@kyles101

I think I will try him with 3 hourly feeds and see how he goes!😁 I honestly don't know where he's currently putting 240ml he's not a large baby 😅.. I don't know if he's having a growth spurt or what but he's soo hungry all day! He can go 5 hours in between a feed at night luckily he's a good sleeper. I usually have his feed ready for him waking up as he makes some warning noises before he cries which gives me time to prepare before all hell breaks lose 😂 Thank ya 😁

Even though you'd prefer not to demand feed the baby clearly needs milk more regularly than every 4 hours. Not all babies fit nicely into a routine and you need to adjust accordingly.

growth spurt.

also please feed your baby when he is hungry/thirsty

do you go four hours between food/cups of tea etc? probably not, you have a cuppa when you feel like it - so don't make your baby wait.

We had one of these! There is such thing as "hungrier baby" formula - I'm no expert as to whether it's better or worse for them as ours is mainly breast fed/expressed fed but I expect it's there for guzzlers like ours!

I spent a lot of time worrying I was overfeeding him somehow as I couldn't believe how much he took at a sitting when we did measure it in a bottle but he screamed bloody murder if you even paused to wind him and he has tracked his percentile birth weight pretty much bang on for months now so I think it's just the way he's made!

Please just feed your baby on demand.

Mine's the same age and definitely wouldn't go 4 hours between feeds! I agree with a PP about switching to 3-hourly rather than 4 and seeing how it goes. That way you'll still have the routine.

Congratulations on your baby :)

He unfortunately hasn’t read the books about routine and until very recently was used to having whatever he wanted all the time. Whilst there are some (a very few) babies who can go four hourly, and previous generations’ advice might have been to try to settle them until their next time for feeding, many people now feel demand feeding is better all round.

Neither of my two including my FF baby could cope with 4 hourly feeds. More like 2.5-3 hourly.

They both slept through the night from a very early age, probably because they'd stuffed themselves full during the day!

Feed him when he cries and shows hunger signs. He'll probably take less because you'll be feeding him more often (although possibly not if he's mid-growth spurt). He'll settle into a routine fairly soon. Mine slept through from 12 weeks (9-6) but during the day he needed feeding every three hours or all hell broke loose! At around 5 months he started to go longer between feeds.

Please feed your baby when he's hungry or thirsty. At seven weeks he takes priority over your desire for routine.

If you're not sure if he is hungry or just unsettled, maybe try other ways of soothing him for a few minutes first and then only feed him if he keeps crying.

Same as others, we were on a 3 hour gap from very early on. Suited my DD perfectly. We started with 4 hours but quickly realised it wasn't enough.

Try 3 hourly in the daytime, that should help.
Mine were 3 hourly from newborn to 3-4 months ish and then started going longer when their tummies could hold more.

I get you though, I needed a routine for my sanity too, you can do it, it's just a shorter cycle.

Defno shorten the time between feeds my little guy was 2 hourly at that age. ( formula baby but not the quantities your baby manages I am super impressed)
At 11 months he is every 6-8 hours and he winds himself! Those early weeks are tough

Please don't use hungry baby formula. It's just thicker and sits in their tummy for longer. Definitely decrease the time between feeds, both my babies were more 2.5-3 hours instead of 4 x

Does he have a dummy? Maybe he wants to suck/soothe rather than feed and the teat off the bottle fulfills this. Agree that babies are better suited to feed little and often.

Please feed your baby when he needs it. He is a baby not a robot. Schedules work round your baby not you. Besides, at 6 weeks he will be having a growth spurt.

It is cruel to withhold milk from a hungry baby. Why would you do that?

Hv said to just feed him when he's hungry and as much as he needs but I feel a routine would work better for me rather than demand feeding?

I hate to say it but sometimes this is just what you have to do. My baby was on the small side for weight but she was long and fed every 45mins to an hour for the first 8 weeks, I never got anything done at home but it was more difficult to ignore her hunger. Even now she feeds every 2.5-3 hours at 6 months and she isn't chubby at all. I think each baby is different and some don't always fit into a routine, some babies in my baby group are over 4 months old but feed at least once every session.

Please feed your hungry baby.

He's brand new and doesn't understand why he's hungry, nor has he read the books.

He's 6 weeks old.... Feed him when he's hungry... Poor mite

My little one is 6 weeks, and is taking 5 Oz (prob could do 6) every 2 hours almost to the dot, except for overnight when she goes 8.5 hours. The only time she can go for longer is occasionally if she is being held and cuddled continuously, if someone is visiting her. I agree it's a pain for every 2 hours, but can you just think of it as topping up for the night?

@TanteRose

Don't need to be rude about it. I do feed him everytime he is hungry I would never strave my baby, I never said I don't. Don't pass me shade when I'm a first time mother asking for advice on a mother advice forum. No need for it.

My goddd you people are bat shit crazy!
I never once said I don't feed him on demand, I said I'd like to find an Inbetween routine that suits us both, motherhood is trial and error was hoping to maybe get some handy advice from an experienced mother hoping I could get some helpful advice but nooo you all seem to think I leave my baby starving looooool, judgemental much 😁
He gets a top up every 2 hours inbetween feeds as I said above. I would never let a newborn cry out. I'm adjusting his feeds to 3 hours. Your all too quick to judge its hilarious. You must all be so perfect when it comes to being a mum, sorry I asked!

@Ginfordinner

Can you show me where is said I refuse to feed him, smart arse? I feed him on demand at the moment around his routine hence why I am seeking advice about routines and demand feeding as I'm still trying to figure something that suits us both. I would never let him cry out. Why you so judgemental? This is an advice chat forum for mums so thought I'd try get some helpful advice from experienced mothers but it would seem you would much rather judge and critize over actually helping a mama out. How dare you assume I don't feed him, he's fed about 9 times a day, 6 of those feeds at 240ml and the rest are top ups when he needs it, and if he were to cry for more he would most certainly get it. Jesus christ 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

A feeding schedule isn't for you!!!! It's for your baby. If your baby needs fed 2 hourly then that's what you do. It's ridiculous to think a tiny baby will stick to your schedule.

@00100001

Once again, show me the part where I said I don't feed him? I would never not feed him. Your a bunch of lunatics. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 He gets milk whenever he needs it I would never let him cry out. I'm trying to get some advice about feeding but instead have been judged by a bunch os psychotic women 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣